Alexander Dirom
General Alexander Dirom. (21 May 1757 – 6 October 1830) was a British soldier who saw overseas service in Barbados, Jamaica and India.
Biography
He was appointed ensign in the 61st Regiment of Foot on 8 December 1778 and lieutenant in the 88th Foot 13 October 1779. He served with the regiment in Barbados (1780) and Jamaica (1780–84) as Military Secretary to the GoC and Major of Brigade. He exchanged into the 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot, later the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, as a Captain in 1781 and in 1783 went to St Domingo to negotiate an exchange of prisoners of war. In 1784 he returned to England. He was Aide-de-Camp to Major General Sir Archibald Campbell (Gov.Gen. and Commander in Chief at Madras) and subsequently served in India against Tippoo Sahib in the Third Mysore War. Fellow Royal Society 10 July 1795.
Son of Alexander Dirom, Provost of Banff and Anne née Fotheringham, he was brother of Sophia who married George Duff. Married Edinburgh 3 August 1793 Magdalen Pasley (born Lisbon 6 January 1772, died Annan 23 October 1853). 12 recorded children including Lt John Pasley Dirom, Sophia Dirom, Captain Alexander Dirom, Robert Dirom, Andrew Dirom, William Maxwell Dirom, Francis Moira Dirom and Admiral James Dirom.
He died in Annan on 6 October 1830.
There is a "school of Raeburn" 3/4 length portrait, supposedly of him, which has Dirom's face painted onto an ensign in the red uniform of a regiment to which Dirom never belonged.
References
"Dirom, Alexander". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
External links
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